The Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds are an thrilling addition to the world of exercise headphones, providing the wonderful sound high quality you anticipate from Sennheiser’s Momentum line and well being monitoring within the type of coronary heart fee and physique temperature monitoring.
They’re excellent headphones that I enormously loved testing, however they’ve just a few flaws that imply I don’t fee them as extremely because the finest exercise headphones. The value can also be eye-wateringly excessive, even in contrast with the highest buds from Apple, Bose and Beats, so except you’re useless set on having that Sennheiser sound in your exercises, there are better-value choices accessible.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport: Value And Availability
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport headphones have been introduced at CES 2024 and went on sale in April 2024. They value $329.95 within the US and £259.95 within the UK, placing them among the many costliest sports activities buds I’ve ever examined. Even the Apple AirPods Professional 2 and Bose QC Earbuds II are cheaper, whereas the Jabra Elite 8 Lively are considerably much less. There are three colours accessible: Polar Black, Burned Olive and Metallic Graphite.
How I Examined These Headphones
I used the Sennheiser Momentum Sport buds for a number of weeks, carrying them to run most days in addition to when working and touring. I additionally did yoga and power exercises with the buds. I’ve examined the Sennheiser Sport True Wi-fi headphones, in addition to a spread of the most effective exercise headphones from different manufacturers.
Design And Match
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport are fairly massive in-ear headphones secured by one of many three units of wings they arrive with. You can even use the buds with none wings, which is extra comfy if carrying them for lengthy stretches at work, however throughout exercises I wanted the wings to carry them in place.
Whereas they did keep put throughout runs and vigorous exercises, the wings will not be that comfy, and I’d have soreness after I took the headphones out on the finish of longer runs. The wings additionally transfer round on the buds when taking them out and in of their case, and it’s annoying to should readjust them repeatedly so that they’re in the precise spot.
The headphones are IP55 rated, so that they’ll stand up to sweat and rain with none issues even when they’re not absolutely waterproof. The case is IP54 rated, which implies it’s superb to place right into a working belt or shorts pocket the place it would get sweaty. It’s not a small case, however fairly flat and simple to slide right into a pocket.
There are contact controls on the skin of every bud, and so they have a coronary heart fee sensor and physique temperature sensor on board too. You may hyperlink the buds with any watch and app to trace coronary heart fee, whereas physique temperature is tracked utilizing Polar tech and solely exhibits within the Polar and Sennheiser apps.
Controls
Together with touching the sensor on every earbud, you may management the Sennheiser Momentum Sport headphones by tapping your cheek. You may customise the controls within the companion app and use them to change between sound modes in addition to to regulate playback and quantity.
You can even set the sensitivity of the contact panels, which is lucky as a result of to start with the wind saved setting off the controls throughout runs. On one run it saved biking between the buds’ ANC, wind discount and transparency modes in an infuriating method, however since turning down the sensitivity this hasn’t occurred once more.
This will clarify why I discovered the controls just a little hit-and-miss, and it took a pair faucets on both my cheek or the contact panel earlier than my makes an attempt registered. A profitable faucet is indicated by a beep, which is useful since some actions require three faucets.
Coronary heart Fee And Physique Temperature Monitoring
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport paired simply with a number of completely different watches and apps to broadcast coronary heart fee, appearing like every other exterior coronary heart fee sensor. The physique temperature sensor works solely with the Polar app and watches. You may’t present temperature on a Polar watch stay throughout exercises but, however that’s coming and would be the best solution to preserve tabs on the information—I had to have a look at the Sennheiser app on my cellphone to see the data throughout runs and different exercises.
The physique temperature monitoring was fascinating at first, however I used to be coaching throughout a light spring within the UK and had no actual must examine my temperature stats. Will probably be of extra curiosity when coaching in sizzling climates, particularly throughout lengthy exercises once you’re at extra threat of overheating.
I discovered that the guts fee monitoring accuracy was fairly poor on the headphones. When evaluating their readings to that of a Polar H10 chest strap, the headphones have been usually flawed, particularly within the second half of exercises. On runs they usually locked on to my cadence (steps per minute) somewhat than coronary heart fee, and even now as I sit at a desk and write this the guts fee studying is clearly too excessive when put next with a chest strap monitor.
In the event you’re somebody who wears a chest strap or armband coronary heart fee sensor and headphones, and have been hoping to consolidate these two units into one, I believe you’ll be disenchanted as a result of the Sennheiser Momentum Sport will not be reliably correct.
Sound High quality
Regardless of being in-ear buds, the Sennheiser Momentum Sport headphones have a semi-open design that doesn’t block out your environment as a lot as different in-ear headphones. This reduces the inner thudding you get when working or strolling with some in-ear buds, and provides just a little extra consciousness of your environment, although you continue to want to make use of the transparency mode to actually hear what’s occurring round you.
There’s a 10mm driver on board to energy the sound, and the buds do sound glorious. The vocals and different devices come by means of with crystal readability and listening to a spread of music genres throughout and out of doors of exercises was a pleasure. Sennheiser’s headphones have a extra pure sound to them and aren’t as heavy on the bass because the likes of Beats, however you continue to get loads of energy on the decrease finish. You may modify the EQ within the companion app and use a bass booster mode in case you do need extra bass.Â
I haven’t come throughout any sports activities headphones that sound higher than the Momentum Sport—they definitely stay as much as the requirements of the famend Momentum line.
ANC And Transparency Modes
There are three sound modes on the Sennheiser Momentum Sport: ANC, transparency and an anti-wind mode. I discovered the latter very helpful throughout runs, particularly at windy working tracks, when many buds seize a variety of wind noise in ANC or transparency modes.
The ANC filters out most exterior sounds properly when touring, although it’s not fairly as spectacular on this entrance because the Bose QC Earbuds II or Apple AirPods Professional 2. The transparency mode is helpful at occasions and you may modify the quantity of exterior noise you need to hear, however whereas working it does sound very windy at occasions, to the purpose the place you may’t hear issues like visitors round you, negating the purpose of utilizing the mode.
Battery Life
The battery lifetime of the buds is listed as as much as six hours, with one other 18 hours of cost held within the case. These figures are based mostly on a mid-level of quantity with the ANC on, and the guts fee and physique temperature sensors energetic. I discovered that the battery drained just a little quicker than that for me even after I had the headphones at a reasonably low quantity, however they have been nonetheless on monitor to final over 5 hours.
A fast-charge function on the headphones delivers one hour of playback from 10 minutes of charging, and it takes round 90 minutes to completely cost the buds from empty. The battery life is neither a power or a weak spot for the Sennheiser Momentum Sport. They’re about par with different high buds, although they do provide much less battery life than the Jabra Elite 8 Lively.
Are The Sennheiser Momentum Sport Headphones Price It?
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport are nice sports activities headphones that excel on sound high quality, however just a few irritating flaws make them a tough promote on the sky-high value. The match is safe, however not that comfy, and the wings are a bit awkward to cope with. I wasn’t impressed with the guts fee monitoring both, and the physique temperature sensor will probably be helpful for some individuals, however I’d wager it’s irrelevant data for many.
You may get the Apple AirPods Professional 2 or Bose QC Earbuds II for much less, and they’re excellent cross-over sports activities/way of life headphones that supply glorious sound high quality. The Jabra Elite 8 Lively headphones don’t sound nearly as good because the Sennheiser Momentum Sport, however they nonetheless sound nice and so they’re rather a lot cheaper, plus the match is extra comfy.